Despite a massive police search, the suspect in the stabbing of actor Saif Ali Khan at his Bandra home remains elusive 40 hours after the incident.
Police believe the attacker is likely a seasoned criminal, as he appears to have meticulously planned his escape by changing clothes, making the investigation more challenging.
Friday witnessed a massive manhunt involving over two dozen teams from the local police, Crime Branch, and crime intelligence unit, all working tirelessly to apprehend the suspect.
In the morning, a man resembling the individual captured on CCTV at Saif Ali Khan’s building was detained for questioning. However, after five hours of interrogation, he was released as police determined he was not involved in the incident. Police sources revealed that the man had a history of petty crimes, leading to his initial detention.
Investigators also questioned a carpenter who had recently worked at Saif Ali Khan’s residence and other building staff. While the carpenter’s family maintained his innocence, this line of inquiry yielded no concrete leads, leaving the police seemingly back at square one. However, a breakthrough occurred later in the evening when investigators discovered footage from another CCTV camera, revealing that the suspect had changed clothes after leaving the actor’s building.
The breakthrough occurred as police reviewed CCTV footage from Bandra, where one camera reportedly captured the suspect near Lucky Junction, wearing a half-sleeve light blue shirt. Earlier footage from the fire exit of the Satguru Sharan building had shown the accused in a half-sleeve black T-shirt.
“The change of clothing suggests the accused may be an experienced criminal. The investigation has been intensified, and CCTV footage from nearby railway stations is also being examined,” an officer stated.
According to police sources, the suspect deliberately covered his face with a red scarf and a cap to evade the building’s cameras. Despite the widespread dissemination of his photograph, the lack of public identification for the suspect is concerning. Initial investigation suggests that the intruder entered the building through the back gate, carefully evading CCTV surveillance. He then utilized the fire escape stairs to reach Khan’s residence, and CCTV footage captured him climbing the stairs barefoot at 1:38 AM, his face concealed.
Investigators suspect that the intruder accessed the house by using a two-foot-wide shaft to enter the bathroom of Khan’s younger child, eventually making his way into the 11th-floor residence. This is the preliminary theory shared by officers handling the case. Following a scuffle with the intruder, Khan and others managed to push him into the child’s room and locked the door from the outside before escaping to the 12th floor for safety. According to police, the intruder likely used the bathroom window to exit through the same narrow shaft he initially entered. He then made his way to the fire exit stairs, where he was caught on a CCTV camera on the building’s sixth floor.
It is revealed that security measures at the building where Saif Ali Khan resides are insufficient. Despite being a high-profile residence in Bandra, the building has inadequate CCTV coverage. Interviews with local vendors revealed that security guards often permitted them to enter the building without proper verification, raising concerns about security protocols.
Bhajan Singh, the auto driver who transported Saif to the hospital, described a harrowing scene. He recalled finding the actor covered in blood and struggling to walk “He (Saif) said, call him (the guard) quickly, ‘Main Saif Ali Khan hoon (I am Saif Ali Khan)’. A stretcher was brought, and he got on it,” Singh said.